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Thursday, June 23, 2011

Avocado Ice Cream

My wonderful Mum recently gifted me a subscription to Mary Jane's Farm Magazine. (Thanks again, Mom!!) I am thrilled with the magazine. With the temperature of this near-summer weather really heating up, we tried our first recipe from the magazine - Mary Jane's Avocado Ice Cream. We love avocados around here, so the thought of Avocado Ice Cream thrilled us all. And we're talking about an ice cream recipe that doesn't take an ice cream machine. We were not let down. Here is the recipe, as it appeared in the June/July 2011 issue, with our dairy-free substitutions in parentheses. Trust me. Try it. You will not be disappointed. MaryJane's Avocado Ice Cream
Prep Time: 15 minutes / Makes 3 cups

1 large avocado, peeled and diced
1 cup half-and-half (we used coconut milk, full fat)
2/3 cup powdered sugar (we use Private Selection Organic - they use tapioca starch, which works for those of us with corn allergies, or who are just trying to avoid all that GMO corn out there)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Combine avocado, half-and-half, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a blender. Puree until completely smooth.
2. Poor mixture into a 2-quart baking dish.
3. Cover and freeze until firm, about 4 hours. (Can be transferred to an air-tight container and kept in a freezer for up to one month.)
4. Before serving, let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Use and ice-cream or watermelon scoop to serve. Top with fresh fruit or mango salsa.
Those are the official guidelines. I would add something. Like, test often so that you can eat it the second that it is firm enough.

And serve in adorable little ice cream sundae cups, with each child having their favorite color. Very important detail. And, if you so desire, top with some gluten/dairy-free cookies for a perfectly wonderful Sunday sundae. Yum.

The results with the coconut milk were delectable, as you can see. Laini was pleased with her first try of ice cream. And Mama was pleased that all her little ones were getting good, homemade, organic ice cream with a lot less sugar than anything that can be bought locally. Perfect summer goodness.